Life is but a Dream
by Gossamerisred
Summary: Weiss Story with a zombie twist.... Yohji x Aya. Reviews very appreciated! it placement of the sentencesparas messed up a bit when uploaded.. sorry! don't know how to fix that exactly


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Weiss characters. I do this for pure enjoyment and make no money off of it :D

Author: Gossa

Feedback: PleasE!

Beta'd by: Blythe

Yohji walked in the door from his date that night, feeling very good about himself. It had gone really well and it had been a while since he'd actually had sex. The house was dark, meaning that everyone was most likely in bed. The small light in the living room was always on, so Yohji didn't really think much about it. After getting a glass of water, he went in the living room to sit down, but paused upon seeing the form on the sofa.

Aya was on his side, his face buried in the back of the sofa and a book lying on the floor. The light sounds of sleep filled the air as Yohji smiled. It was a very rare thing to catch Aya completely unguarded. Now that he thought about, this was probably only the third time he had seen him sleeping. The man needed the rest though, if the dark circles under his eyes were any indication.

Aya was wearing a soft white t-shirt and long, grey pajama pants. On his feet was a pair of white socks, one toe poking out slightly.

Even in his sleep, Aya was breathtaking. But, Yohji knew that trying to get anywhere with the man would be pointless, not to mention stupid. Thinking about it, though, made Yohji feel all fuzzy inside. He would give just about anything to see what Aya was really like underneath that thick shell. Seeing him truly smile was something that Yohji had yet to see which, he thought, was kind of sad.

Aya shifted slightly, inadvertently hitting the remote, turning the television on. He shot up, startled by the sudden noise, his glasses slightly crooked on his face. He looked at Yohji sitting on the oversized armchair across from him, then the TV. He continued to stare at the TV and the movie that was playing.

Yohji chuckled to himself, getting a kick out of the vulnerability that he was witnessing. Aya looked at Yohji again, then the clock, which read 3:00 a.m.

"Did you just get home?" Aya inquired.

"Umm… yeah," Yohji said, slightly surprised by the sudden question.

Aya looked right into his eyes.

"There is a mission tomorrow night," Aya stated, standing up. "Just so you know."

Yohji sighed, finishing off his water and standing up as well. "You just made my night Fujimiya," Yohji said, beginning his walk up the steps. "Goodnight."

"'Night," Aya said in turn.

When Yohji got to his room, he stripped himself of his clothing and lay down in the bed. He found himself thinking about the exhausted look in Aya's eyes, even as he began to fall fast asleep.

"Mission complete," Ken said.

That's when noises started coming over the comm, almost zombie-like sounds. "Abyssinian, is that from your end?" Yohji asked. No answer.

Something could be heard through the comm, as if someone was struggling.

"Dammit!" Ken cursed over the mic. "Why do we have to save him?"

"Almost to your location Abyssinian, hold tight," Yohji said, wanting to smack Ken for what he had said.

"Che," Ken said.

Ken and Yohji ran as fast as they could, finally reaching Aya. Upon entering the area from where the noise was coming, they saw one guy on their teammate and two corpses lying around the tiny room. The corpses, they noticed, were wiggling.

Ken and Yohji looked at each other, taking in the surrealism of the situation. Then they were aware of Aya struggling for breath. He was extremely bloodied and bruised, his clothing clinging to his body from all the blood.

As Yohji was about to use his wire on the large 'man' currently choking his comrade, Aya shook his head, his eyes full of anguish.

"Run," was all that Aya could manage to gasp out through the hands around his throat. That's when Yohji got a really good look at the guy strangling Aya and the ones around him. The one trying to crush the redhead's windpipe looked dead and was blue in color. The air was heavy with the scent of decay, the smell of corpses. Yohji felt as if he was about to vomit.

Not wanting to waste another second, Ken ran towards the creature and slashed its back. It stopped looking at Aya, turning around to face Ken and beginning to come towards him. Ken slashed and tore at it, but the creature continued to move steadily forward. Not knowing what else to do, Yohji grabbed the thing around its neck with his wire. Upon seeing Aya's bloodied katana lying on the ground, he picked it up with one hand, and not so gracefully, chopped the creature's head off. It continued to move, but now at least, it could not go anywhere.

"What the fuck," Ken said softly, a look of pure horror on his face. Yohji went to Aya's side immediately.

"Shit," Yohji said, feeling a surge of panic. "I'm not getting a pulse!" The look on his face reflected the pain he was suddenly feeling inside.

There was blood all over Aya and around him as well. It was seeping through Yohji's pants as he kneeled beside the fallen man. The blood had stopped flowing from his mouth, but his arm was lying at a weird angle. Yohji gritted his teeth, tears filling his eyes.

"We have to get him out of here," Yohji said. Yohji could feel shock setting in, the telltale shaking all over his body making the carrying of a limp and lifeless Aya a particularly difficult task. Compounding his problems was a very bloodthirsty Ken 'helping' him while looking at Aya wide-eyed and crazy the entire time. Finally reaching Yohji's car, they immediately called Kritiker's doctors, letting them know they were on their way.

Five hours had passed since the doctors had started working on Aya. Yohji and Ken sat in the waiting room waiting to hear any news. The room was damp and cold, feeling more like a prison cell to Yohji with there being nothing to occupy his frizzled mind.

At last, one of the doctors walked out of the trauma room.

"He'll be ok. But honestly, from the looks of his wounds, I really have no idea how he made it out alive," the doctor said, pulling out a cigarette and walking the two Weiss members to the door. "We'll bring him out to your car; just make sure you put him to bed as soon as he's home."

When the doctors carried Aya out to the car, he was so pale as to appear dead. The bruising around his collarbone and lower neck was extreme, reaching to his Adam's apple in several shades of purple and blue. There were also a number of other cuts and bruises, the white bandages taking most of the attention away from them. His head was covered in bandages as well; his dark red hair still caked with blood, making it look even darker. On his arm there was a bright white cast, extending to mid bicep. Yohji gripped his steering wheel hard, closing his eyes against the feelings welling up in him. Seeing Aya in such a state hurt, a lot more than it should. The pervasive silence on the way home was something for which Yohji was very grateful.

After they got Aya up to his bed, Ken immediately went to sleep. Yohji, on the other hand, stayed in Aya's room. He couldn't stop staring at the most beautiful person he had ever laid eyes on. For some reason, Aya looked even more beautiful in his injured state. The dark bruising marring him stuck out like a sore thumb against his normally flawless skin. He had a light sheen of sweat on his body and his brows were furrowed in pain. His breathing hitched here and there, still fighting against unseen hands. Yohji moved dark red bangs away from the man's forehead and, after pulling the blankets up further, he turned, about to leave. He stopped when he saw Aya's eyes open slowly. The look in those eyes was so sleepy and full of pain at that moment, that Yohji thought he was imagining it.

"How're you feeling?" Yohji inquired with a soft smile.

Aya snickered, closing his eyes again. "I'll survive," was the rasped reply.

"Good," Yohji said, feeling his night beginning to catch up to him. "You need anything before I hit the sac?"

Aya shook his head, his clammy, sticky skin worrying Yohji.

"Damn, Ayan... you don't look good," Yohji said, still smiling, but feeling his insides twist at the same time. Yohji realized he was scared. Losing Aya, or even Ken, was something he knew he wouldn't handle well. Especially Aya.

"Thanks," Aya said, smirking slightly, his hoarse voice barely audible. Yohji gently laid his hand on Aya's forehead. The man did indeed have a fever.

"I'll be right back," Yohji said, going down to the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water and some pills. When he got back to the room, Aya was staring at the ceiling, his blinking eyes being the only indication that he was even alive.

"Here, take these," Yohji ordered. Without even a glance, Aya sat up the best he could, taking the pills. "Well... goodnight," Yohji said again, knowing that offering him anything else would be pointless.

Yohji had one hand on the door.

"Wh--," Aya started. Yohji stopped and looked at him curiously, expectantly, hopefully. "What were those things?" Aya asked.

Yohji felt his heart fall. "I don't know," Yohji answered, turning out Aya's light. "Just try to get some rest."

"'Night, Yohji," Aya said and Yohji shut the door. It was a rare thing for Aya to use any of their names, simply because it was never necessary. But, when Aya used his name for something as simple as a goodnight, it made Yohji very happy. As he stripped his clothing and lay in bed, he thought it was kind of funny how he would get excited over something as simple as Aya saying his name. What was he? In middle school?

It was noon (and a week later) before Yohji felt the need to get out of bed. When he finally did, he went into his absurdly small bathroom and took a very warm, relaxing shower. After getting dressed, Yohji stepped out of his room and his stomach growled loudly. Arriving in the kitchen, he found Aya sitting at the table with a glass of water. He was dressed and looking considerably better than when the blond had last seen him.

"Yo, you're actually up?" Yohji asked, looking in the fridge and seeing it being completely empty except for a moldy bowl of left over stew. "Dammit, there's nothing to eat!" Yohji slumped into a chair at the table, the energy he had when he woke up suddenly gone.

"I'm going to get lunch. You want anything?" Aya asked. He was wearing comfortable jeans, and a creamy, long sleeve button up shirt. It wasn't buttoned all the way, exposing his bruising. At that moment, Aya was sliding his arms into a brown jacket, which served to hide it well, his broken arm barely noticeable under the sleeves. Damn Yohji thought He looks sexy

"Yeah, just whatever though... I'm not picky," Yohji said nonchalantly, realizing he was checking Aya out a little too openly.

Aya didn't say another word as he walked out the door, keys in hand. Yohji knew that the redhead had to still be in pain, and he even walked with a slight hitch. He envied him, in a way, because had it been him, his housemates would likely know each and every pain he had.

The whole day went rather slowly after that. Aya went back to sleep, Ken came home all happy and excited from his motorcycle ride, and Yohji went out for a while to clear his mind of recent events. He found himself going to a coffee shop, one that he hadn't been to in some time. While there, he ran into an old acquaintance and a very beautiful one at that. They drank coffee and went for a long walk through the park across the street.

"So, have anyone you love yet?" Miaka inquired, looking at Yohji with her bright brown eyes. Yohji smiled. "I love everyone, it's impossible to choose just one!"

Miaka laughed. "Come on! Are you telling me there's not one person you find yourself thinking about before you fall asleep at night?"

Yohji thought about that for a moment, laughing to himself. "Of course there is," he replied, giving Miaka a flirtatious smile, "but it's a secret."

Miaka smiled back at him. "Secret, huh? I'll tell you what," she began, biting her lower lip, "how about we go back to my place, and I try my best to learn of this mysterious love?"

Yohji smirked, knowing he could never refuse an offer like that.

It was about 7:00 pm. when Yohji came home to the TV blasting a video game that Ken was happily playing.

"Hey Ken!" Yohji yelled over the volume of the game, smiling nonetheless. He was feeling a lot better after his wonderful afternoon with Miaka, Aya the furthest thing from his mind.

"Hey," Ken yelled back, dazed by the pretty moving pictures on the screen.

"What do you say to getting nice and drunk tonight? My treat!" Yohji said, holding up 2 packs of bottled beer.

"I would say, 'ok'," Ken answered, taking the beer that Yohji had offered to him. Yohji sat down next to him, grabbing the second player controller.

"Where's Aya?" Yohji asked.

Ken shrugged. "He left not long ago... don't know where to though. You know how he is."

Aya was walking through an alleyway, almost home from his evening of walking around aimlessly. It was a beautiful night, the fall wind slightly chilly and the sky completely black except for the moon, which was shining brightly. Aya hugged his coat tighter around himself when he felt a knife being held to his throat.

"If I killed you right now, I am sure no one would grieve," Schuldig said, smirking as he waited for any sort of reaction out of Aya. He received none as Aya stood there a blank and apathetic look on his face.

"Realizing that your existence isn't worth fighting for?" the German sneered. The knife began to sink deeper into Aya's skin. "Of course, someone who cannot protect the most important thing to them IS pretty pathetic," Schuldig snickered. "You couldn't even save poor Bombay, just sat there and watched..."

"If you are going to kill me, just do it," Aya said, his eyes closed and voice monotone, devoid of any emotion.

"Oh?" Schuldig quipped with a smile. He knew that killing Aya would only be doing the swordsman a favor at that moment. He slipped off into the shadows, deciding that now was not the time to play with this kitten.

If you don't die soon, Ran-kun... I will put you out of your misery very painfully

Aya stood there silently, not quite knowing what else to do. Schuldig had been paying him visits in his mind for a while now. The pain every time his territory was invaded felt like a horrible migraine. He knew that Schuldig was right. Aya-chan had died and not by natural causes, but by getting shot in the brain. In the end, he hadn't been able protect her from himself. And even Omi, whom he had considered a friend, couldn't be saved from being mauled to death. Aya was tired of living, of feeling as if he was having a very boring, never-ending dream. The days crawled by, the pain of existing just sitting on his chest.

Yohji was sitting on the sofa when Aya walked in, Ken passed out and snoring lightly on the floor. He was happy, the beer being his savior during the time he had been home. Seeing Aya again sobered him up a bit.

"Yo." Yohji smiled as he looked at Aya. "Out on a hot date?" Yohji's grin went ear to ear, like a very happy cat.

"No," was Aya's very simple and quiet reply as he took off his boots and walked into the kitchen for a drink. Yohji got up with a grunt and walked into the kitchen, having noticed a newer mark on Aya's neck.

"What happened to you?" he questioned, taking Aya's hesitation as an opportunity to look closer at the wound. It was pretty obvious that he had forgotten about the mark because he swiftly moved his hand to cover it.

"Nothing," Aya said, wanting to slap himself for forgetting about the knife that had been held to his throat.

"It isn't though. I'm... we're worried about you" Yohji said, looking at the ground. "I can't help but think… that one day you're going to die… or… or disappear on us. And dammit, it hurts! I… I don't think I could handle that." The last was barely a whisper.

For a too brief moment, Yohji saw emotions swim through Aya's eyes, something along the lines of confusion, he figured. Then, the amethyst orbs closed as Aya walked towards the steps. "You would be without another teammate is all."

"Is that what you really think?" Yohji demanded, angry now. "You really think that's all I... we care about?!"

"I don't care what you think or care about," Aya responded coolly, fixing Yohji with an icy glare. Yet, this was different somehow. His eyes were dull, lacking the spark that shone in them when he was truly angry. Now, they were glassy, unseeing and uncaring. The emptiness reflected there scared Yohji more than the redhead's wrath ever had. Aren't the eyes the window to the soul? At least anger was something, heat and passion even. This nothingness just left Yohji feeling cold. He shivered in the face of it.

"Oh yeah, Ran, that's really cool of you." Yohji's fists were clenched in anger. "Mr. Cold-as-ice doesn't give a crap about anything! I forgot all about that. Because Ran, that would make you feel, wouldn't it? And that's too much trouble for someone like you, isn't it?"

That got him going Yohji thought proudly when he saw Aya stop and clench his own fist. Aya snapped around, looking murderous, but also a tiny bit hurt if you knew where to look for it. "You..." he started, but stopped there, turning back around and continuing up the steps. Yohji was silent as he watched Aya disappear. He was already regretting what he had said. That wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting at all. Wanting to apologize, he raced up the stairs and jumped in front of his friend.

"Look Aya..." Yohji began as he looked at Aya. Aya still had that dead look about him and Yohji shivered again. "Aya, I'm sorry," Yohji said, kicking himself and wishing more than anything that he could rewind and start the conversation in the kitchen over again.

"It's fine," Aya said, closing his eyes and looking a little irritated as he continued walking. "Besides..." he said as he opened his bedroom door with his good arm, "you're right."

Yohji stood there gaping in complete surprise. Aya had been surprising him a lot lately, it seemed.


End file.
